β-Amyloid deposits and neurofibrillary tangles are two major pathologic characterizations associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Clinically, AD is characterized by the loss of memory, cognition, reasoning, judgment, and orientation. Also affected, as the disease progresses, are motor, sensory, and linguistic abilities until global impairment of multiple cognitive functions occurs. These cognitive losses take place gradually, but typically lead to severe impairment and eventual death in 4-12 years.
Amyloidogenic plaques and vascular amyloid angiopathy also characterize the brains of patients with Trisomy 21 (Down's Syndrome), Hereditary Cerebral Hemorrhage with Amyloidosis of the Dutch-type (HCHWA-D), and other neurodegenerative disorders. Neurofibrillary tangles also occur in other neurodegenerative disorders including dementia-inducing disorders (Varghese, J., et al, Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 2003, 46, 4625-4630).
β-Amyloid deposits are predominately an aggregate of Aβ peptide, which in turn is a product of the proteolysis of amyloid precursor protein (APP). More specifically, Aβ peptide results from the cleavage of APP at the C-terminus by one or more β-secretases, and at the N-terminus by β-secretase enzyme (BACE), also known as aspartyl protease, as part of the β-amyloidogenic pathway.
BACE activity is correlated directly to the generation of Aβ peptide from APP (Sinha, et al, Nature, 1999, 402, 537-540), and studies increasingly indicate that the inhibition of BACE inhibits the production of Aβ peptide (Roberds, S. L., et al, Human Molecular Genetics, 2001, 10, 1317-1324).
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide compounds which are inhibitors of β-secretase and are useful as therapeutic agents in the treatment, prevention or amelioration of a disease or disorder characterized by elevated β-amyloid deposits or β-amyloid levels in a patient.
It is another object of this invention to provide therapeutic methods and pharmaceutical compositions useful for the treatment, prevention or amelioration of a disease or disorder characterized by elevated β-amyloid deposits or β-amyloid levels in a patient.
It is a feature of this invention that the compounds provided may also be useful to further study and elucidate the β-secretase enzyme.
These and other objects and features of the invention will become more apparent by the detailed description set forth hereinbelow.